Except for the Book of Mormon, there is no book I have read more frequently than The Screwtape Letters. When I was a paperboy during my teenage years, I had this book on tape and made it a goal to memorize it while delivering my papers. I never fully succeeded in that goal, though I used to be able to quote liberally from this book and knew the central topic of every chapter. To this day, I still learn much about my moral failings and challenges as I view them through the eyes of the "Under Secretary of the Satanic Lowerarchy."
As is well-known, this short fictional novel is written using a technique of "diabolical ventriloquism," as Lewis termed it. Undersecretary Screwtape, an experienced devil in hell is writing to Wormwood, his novice devil nephew. Wormwood has been tasked with tempting a young British man during World War II and frequently seeks the advice of his uncle on how to best lead the man to sin and temptation. Wormwood's lack of experience is evident as the unnamed man becomes a Christian, starts dating an upstanding young woman and displays a good deal of bravery and courage in the midst of the war. Screwtape nonetheless provides a continual source of new options for temptations at every step of the way. In the process, Screwtape provides an excellent overview of the character of mankind, and indeed, the Christian perspective on the nature of God.
Through its style and substance, Screwtape Letters captures the true essence of the natural man, that is, human nature at its worst. We can be lazy, selfish, arrogant, myopic, and thoughtless so easily. In most respects, no devil is really necessary to induce us on this path. Indeed, Lewis depicts most of the devil's as that of prevention: keeping us from seeing things as they really are. A moment or two of reflection and meditation can quickly illuminate the ways in which we are not living up to our true eternal potential.
The devilish correspondence can be seen as the pessimistic perspective of our future; the reader's task is thus to determine how to right the identified wrongs. This novel is so powerful I think because it requires the reader to actively consider the antidote to every temptation proffered by the devils. In so doing, we are forced to evaluate our own life. What are my weaknesses? What is my trajectory in life? What can I do to improve?
Lewis said that though he "had never written anything more easily, I never wrote with less enjoyment." For me though, I have rarely read a theological book that required more thought, and I have certainly never read one as enjoyable.
0 comments:
Post a Comment